Bedford Falls.... or Pottersville?

Have you ever wondered if your life has made any difference?  Do you wonder if anyone would even notice were you to suddenly disappear?  How different would the lives of those around you be if you had never been born?  In the popular Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey wishes that he had never been born, but by the end of the movie, he realizes that his life has made a difference.

Over the past few days, I have asked myself these questions many times, in many different forms.  I think, if we're honest with ourselves and with each other, we can all say we've asked these questions of ourselves.  What difference have I made in another's life?  When I think of all the people who have left their mark on my life, I am so thankful for each and every one of them.  But do they know?  Is it even possible for them to know?  If I were to name every single person who ever touched my life,  this post would never end.  There are so many of you!  Family, friends, teachers- some I've known a lifetime, others only an hour or two- some live with me every day, others live half way around the world.  All of these people have left their fingerprints in the painting that is my life.  Each has a different color- some bold, bright, and beautiful, others subtle and almost undetected.  Some might even look like mistakes on the canvas (but when God is the true artist, there are no mistakes).  

I often think of kids I went to school with and wonder where they are today.  I wonder about the classmates I encouraged to do better in school.  I wonder about the guys I used to hang out with- the ones who would ask to borrow a dollar and never pay me back because they knew that I would never hold it against them (and yes... I kept handing out dollars even when I knew I'd never see them again because I'd hoped that, in some small way, this would remind them that I was always just a phone call away if they needed anything).  I wonder about the prom queens and the homecoming kings. Where are they now?  Are they happy?  Did my "do something with your life" encouragement impact them longterm? I wonder about the many who left their mark on the world in their short lives- did my life make a difference in their lives the way theirs ended up impacting mine?  Do any of my former teachers ever think about me the way I often think about them?  How about the people I used to work with at the bank?  or Panera? or Greenberg's?  Did I make a difference at all?

In all of this thinking, the most pressing question is this:  What am I doing today to impact the lives of others? What will I do tomorrow?  In my last post, I wrote about my friend who hadn't been honest with me.  Last night, we talked through some things (after I basically ate her alive Sunday night.....oops) and one of the things I said to her in the midst of us both confessing things was that we can't change the past, only the future. When I think of how many lives have touched mine, I am forced to consider the lives I may be touching.  I can't change the way I impacted people in yesterdays gone by, but I can change the way I will impact them tomorrow.

After George has seen what life would be like if he had never been born, Clarence says to him

"Strange, isn't it?  Each man's life touches so many other lives.  

When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"

I'm not suggesting that we take all of life's most important lessons from Hollywood (because that would not only be completely stupid, it would also be very harmful), but I think Clarence has some good insight on this one.  We all make a difference in other people's lives, whether we intend to or not.  You won't leave your mark on every single person you meet.  Thats just life.  But what about that one person you encounter who will never be the same after meeting you?  Think about that.

"Friendship? Yes, please." ~Charles Dickens

All my life I've wished for a best friend.  When I was growing up, I had two best friends: April and Hannah.  Through middle school and high school, I had so many "best" friends I could barely count them all.  I had my "best" school friends and my "best" church friends.  I was close to so many people.  Then I graduated and went off to college.  There, I picked up more "best" friends. Yet, somehow, I still felt just a little lonely.  My "best" friends always come in sets of two: April & Hannah, Mary & Erin, Laura & Elisabeth, Keri & Amy.  I've never had that one special best friend to call my very own.

Over the past month and a half, a very good friend of mine has not been completely honest with me about something.  It's been really hard to deal with because she kept saying how she didn't want this situation to come between us and how it wasn't a big deal. I thought the whole thing was over, but this weekend, I found out she was still hiding things from me.  In short, it was just a rotten weekend in the friendship department.

Except for one thing: the friend who cares.  This weekend, I was reminded once again that one friend of mine (you know who you are) is always there for me.  Now, I know what most of you are thinking- well of course, Lacy... God is ALWAYS there and ALWAYS cares!  Well, yes, that is true.  God is always there and I know He loves me and cares about what is going on in my life.  However,  the friend to which I am referring in this instance is an earthly person.  He's the one I can always count on- the one who, no matter what I have to say, will always be on my side.  We stick together.... mostly via texting (since we don't exactly live in the same location so much).  When he's feeling like the world is against him and that he'll be alone for the rest of his life, I'm the one who's texting him saying "Pull it together and check out the beautiful sunset.... because if God can make a sunset that beautiful, then surely, God will paint something even more beautiful on the canvas of your life."  And when I'm feeling like the world's falling apart.... when I'm second guessing every single decision I've ever made, he's the one who's texting me with the "You're awesome" lines and the "You'll do the right thing.... don't worry too much about it.... life will be ok" texts.  

Some people say that it is impossible for two individuals of the opposite sex to have such a close friendship without it ending in some degree of heartbreak.  Well, to those who make such claims, I'd like to say "You're wrong."  Everyone needs a friend- a someone they can depend on no matter what.  To all of you readers out there, I hope you know this kind of friendship.  Because if you do.... then you sure do have a lot to be thankful for... just like me.

Erase History?

What is history?  To some, history is simply the past.  For others, its a subject to be studied, learned, and tested over.  To a historian, it is something treasured and valued- something enjoyed and loved. But what does it mean to you?  Perhaps its not the definition of history that is so important, but rather what it does.  They say we need to study history so that we are not doomed to repeat it. In my world, I see history as the summary of where we've been that points us in the direction we should be going.

Every so often, I delete the browser history on my phone.  Its not so much that I feel the need to hide where I've been so much as I don't want my "history" taking up space on my phone's memory (to those of you out there that  are far more technologically savvy than I, I'm sure there is very little/no truth to this memory-saving trick, but oh well).  When I do this, the "erase history?" message pops up, and every time I think to myself : "erase history? If only it were that easy."  But when I really stop to think about it, who really wants to erase their history?  Maybe its painful; maybe its hard to think about. Maybe you're fortunate enough to have a history with very little difficulty- a bed of roses. Either way, our past defines us; it shows us from where we've come- how far we've grown, areas that still need more work.

On the flip side, we cannot allow our past to ruin our future.  We cannot allow ourselves to become so consumed with our past mistakes or with the past mistakes of others that we miss out on the blessings of today.  My dear friend and cousin, Daniel, sent me a random text today: Philippians 3:13- "forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward to what lies ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of Jesus Christ..."  Sounds like maybe Daniel and the apostle Paul both agree with my take on history.

Keep looking ahead!

Till Next Time!